ORF, the Austrian national broadcaster, has revealed that it will hold a national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026.
A national selection will be used to select the entry that will represent Austria on home ground at Eurovision 2026. Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz, Director of Programming at ORF, revealed the news during an interview for Kurier. Groiss-Horowitz stated that the Austrian entrant for Eurovision 2026 would be chosen through a “big TV evening with lots of audience participation”. Further details about the selection, including the format and date, will be announced in due course.
Groiss-Horowitz also revealed that ORF is planning a series that will be shown in the run-up to Eurovision 2026, alongside several documentaries about different facets and the development of Eurovision.
A decision on the presenters for Eurovision 2026 is expected to be made “at the end of the year”. The decision on whether Vienna or Innsbruck will host the contest is expected to be made by August 8 and is expected to be revealed later in the month.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will be held in Austria following the victory of JJ with “Wasted Love”. Austria won the Eurovision Song Contest for a third time, having previously won the 1966 and 2014 editions of the contest. Austria received 12 points from eight juries; Belgium, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.
Image source: Alma Bengtsson / EBU | Source: ORF
Austria in the Eurovision Song Contest
Austria debuted in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1957. Bob Martin represented the country on their debut but finished in last place scoring just 3 points. Austria has won the contest three times, the first being in 1966 when Udo Jürgens performed “Merci, Cherie”. It was 48 years later when Austria won again in 2014, when Conchita Wurst performed “Rise Like a Phoenix”, scoring a total of 290 points. Austria’s third win came in 2025, when JJ sang “Wasted Love” and scored 436 points.
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Posted by:Neil Farren
Neil is from Ireland but has lived in several countries around Europe. He has has been an editor for Eurovoix since May 2017. He has been following the Eurovision Song Contest since 2005 and attended every contest as press since 2019. He also follows other Eurovision contests, such as the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, which he has watched since the very first edition in 2003.